Gluten Free Rosemary Chicken and Zucchini Skillet

2 Small Zucchini (or Crook Neck Squash)
4 servings of Chicken (strips, or small chunks)
Flavored Olive Oil (if available: Garlic, Roasted Red Pepper, Basil)
Rosemary (to taste)
Cooked Brown Rice or Brown Rice Pasta
In a small skillet sauté Zucchini in flavored Olive Oils, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of Rosemary  (or Olive Oil with Garlic and Basil Seasonings to taste.) Cook until tender. Do not over cook.
In a separate skillet cook chicken in Flavored Olive Oils and Rosemary.
When all ingredients are cooked combine in one skillet with rice or pasta. Stir together until mixed and warm and serve.  VERY TASTEY!
Serves 4

Gluten Free Curry Chicken Stir-Fry

Gluten Free Curry Chicken Stir-Fry

2 Cups Chicken (I used pre-cooked frozen grilled strips from Costco.)

1/2 Bag of Frozen Stir-Fry Veggies

1 Cup Fresh Broccoli tops

10 Sprays Braggs Amino Acids (or to taste)

1/4 Cup Coconut Milk (use enough for the consistency that you want.) 

1/2 teaspoon Curry Powder (or to taste)

Cook chicken in a large skillet using flavored olive oil if available. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and cook until veggies are thawed and warm.

Serve over Steamed Brown Rice

Serves 4

Gluten Free Beans and Rice

This is one of the first recipes that I made up when I started eating Gluten Free.  I needed something that I could take to a pot-luck lunch with friends and this turned out to be a yummy hit!

Gluten Free Beans and Rice

1 Can Black Beans (or any of your choice, rinsed)

2 1/2 Cups Cooked Brown Rice

5-6 Tablespoons 505 Southwestern All Natural Green Chile Sauce (I purchased it at Costco.)

1/2 can (small can) Olives

1/8 cup Coconut Milk (or Sour Cream) I used Coconut Milk from a leftover meal. I used it as a Creamer.

2 Cups of Shredded Cheese

Combined the first five ingredients in a small baking dish along with half of the cheese.  Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the bean mixture.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  This recipe can be microwaved. 

Serve with Chips (I used Blue Corn. Everyone thought that was neat.)

Mama's EVERYTHING Salad

This is a staple meal in our home. When I am feeling guilty for not feeding the family enough of the "rainbow foods" we add this to the menu. This is a salad with the main green being spinach. However, there ends up being a lot more mix-ins then spinach when we're finished.

The basic idea to making this salad is to make it hearty enough to work as a meal. So here is an idea of what we add to make this salad filling and refreshing.

Mama's EVERYTHING Salad

In a family sized bowl mix together the following Mix-In's:
Colored Peppers
Carrots
Celery
Sprouts
Tomatoes
(Any other fresh vegetables you want to add.)
Chopped meat (chicken, turkey, ham, fish, etc.)
Chopped or shredded cheese
Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc.)
Nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, etc.)
Fruits (apples, dried berries, etc.)
Croutons
A dash of sea salt, organic Season All, Mrs. Dash, etc.

Put a layer of Spinach (or salad greens) on a plate and scoop the Mix-In's onto the greens. Add any dressing you want and, ENJOY!

Spinach Rotini Pasta Salad

This is a delicious and very filling spring and summer time meal. This recipe comes from the back of the Heartland Whole Grain Rotini box. You can add or take away many different ingredients with this recipe. I've seen red onions and even strawberries in this dish. Olives are another idea. This was definitely a hit with my husband and four year old! MMM!

Spinach Rotini Salad

Ingredients:
12 oz Heartland Whole Grain Rotini
4 oz fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian dressing (any oil based dressing will work)
3/4 cup tomatoes, diced
4 oz pepperoni, julienne (I use turkey peperoni if I use meat in the recipe)
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded (I use Mozzarella, it has less fat)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook rotini according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine all remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add pasta and mix well.

Chicken & Lentils

If you are looking for something healthy and different, this is a good choice. This meal is tasty and healthy. Nothing fancy, just a good home cooked meal. This recipe stemmed from Bob's Red Mill Recipe Database. I have changed it a bit, so the nutritional Information might not be 100% accurate.

Chicken & Lentils

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb washed & sorted Lentils
6 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
8 oz. Cooked, Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast
1 small Yellow Onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Celery, diced
1/2 cup Carrot, diced
1/2 cup broccoli
3 cloves Garlic, peeled & minced

Place all ingredients, except salt and meat in a heavy saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add meat, reduce heat to low and simmer about 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, but not mushy. Most of the water will be absorbed during the cooking process, so keep a close eye on the pot to make sure lentils do not stick. Mix in salt and pepper. Serve with rice or corn bread.
Makes 6 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Servings Size: 1 Serving (389g)Calories 410, Calories from Fat 40, Total Fat 4.5g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 40mg, Sodium 540mg, Total Carbohydrate 57g, Dietary Fiber 12g, Sugars 8g and Protein 37g.

Black Bean Salad

This is one of my favorite quick meal ideas! You can use this recipe as a salad or as a filling for pitas or tortillas. This is also a good base recipe that allows you to add or take away a lot of things. We felt like this salad was a light and tasty summer type recipe. We got this off of our Bush's BEST Black Beans can. There website is a great resource for some great recipes that include beans.

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
8 green onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
-Optional Add Ins-
Raspberry vinaigrette instead of Italian
Kidney Beans
Colored Bell Peppers
Cherry Tomatoes, sliced

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, green onions, jalapeno peppers, bell pepper, avocado, pimentos, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and Italian dressing. Season with garlic salt. Toss, and chill until serving.

Southwestern Beans

This is a recipe that I created for the times that I make burritos and I want more then just the basics. I have used this recipe for simple bean burritos with or without meat, as well as breakfast burritos. It is VERY easy, tasty, and good for you!

Southwestern Beans

One Way:
1 can of beans (black, red kidney, etc.)
1/2 can of enchilada sauce
2 Tbls of sour cream OR cream cheese OR plain yogurt (optional)

Mix and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and serve in a tortilla.

Another Way:
1 can of beans (black, red kidney, etc.)
1 small can of spicy vegetable juice (V8)
2 tsp taco seasoning
2 tsp Grill Mates Chipotle Seasoning
2 Tbls of sour cream OR cream cheese OR plain yogurt (optional)
1 small can of sliced olives (optional)
1 small can of green chilies (optional)

Mix and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and serve in a tortilla.

Artichoke Heart Pasta

My husband made a heavenly Artichoke Hearts Pasta tonight. The smell and rainbow of colors made our mouths water in anticipation. Tasting it was definitely not a let down. This is a great meal idea for anyone who has left-over pasta noodles and is tired of the traditional marinara sauce and pasta.

Made with a base of Artichoke Heart Marinade Oil and Olive Oil, this pasta is smooth and has a subtle yet fresh taste to it. Pasta lovers won't be disappointed with this recipe!

The following are the ingredients for this pasta dish. I will not give exact measurements for everything because this is the type of recipe that you make "to taste."

Artichoke Heart Pasta

Artichoke Hearts (diced, at least 6 ounces, include the sauce in the recipe)
Yellow Bell Peppers
Red Bell Peppers
Zucchini
Olive Oil (at least 3 Tablespoons)
Garlic (pressed)
Red Onions
Garlic Salt
Rosemary
Lemon Pepper
Lemon Juice
Salt
Crushed Red Peppers

Saute' the above ingredients together

Combine the below ingredients with the sauteed ingredients and cook until warmed.
Olives (sliced)
Diced Tomatoes
Pasta

Meat Options:
Chicken
Bacon

Garden Style Southwestern Chili

Garden Style Southwestern Chili

I won't give exact measurements on every ingredient because of the varying sizes that this meal could be prepared in.

Stewed Tomatoes with their broth (you can use canned, bottled, or fresh tomatoes)
1 can tomato paste
Canned Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
Salsa (to taste)
Taco Seasoning (to taste)
Garlic Clove (pressed)
Onion (chopped)
Meat (I use Chicken or Beef)
Colored Peppers (green, red, yellow, orange, etc.)
Corn (canned or fresh off the cob)
Finely chopped crookneck and/or Zucchini Squash
Hand full of Spinach chopped
Black Beans (with juice, if canned)
Kidney Beans (drained)
Chili Beans
Brown Rice (cooked)

This recipe turns out so tasty! We love to make it into burritos or a chip dip. As the cold weather sets in it will be a nice warm treat in a bread bowl!

Why Beans?

According to The World's Healthiest Foods Website "Black beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as brown rice, black beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. You may already be familiar with beans' fiber and protein, but this is far from all black beans have to offer.

When researchers analyzed different types of beans, they found that, the darker the bean's seed coat, the higher its level of antioxidant activity. Gram for gram, black beans were found to have the most antioxidant activity, followed in descending order by red, brown, yellow, and white beans."

Freshen Up That Pizza

Sometimes I just feel like a really easy meal. You know, like a frozen pizza. But I can't stand the thought of consuming all of the fat that comes with it when there is often little nutrient value in most pizzas. So I have started to freshen up our pizzas.

I purchase a basic pizza like cheese or spinach garlic mushroom, or spicy chicken. Then I cut up all kinds of fresh veggies (mostly from our garden) like Peppers, cherry tomatoes, Squash, onions, etc. Then I add the low fat turkey pepperonis for my husbands sake:).

These pizzas are always delicious! If you can find one with whole wheat crust, you're all the more healthy.

Have Fun and be Daring and Creative! You might surprise yourself on how much you enjoy it!

Omelets: Eggs Are Your Friend!

For years eggs have been set on the health conscious person's "Danger" list. Hopefully, this is no longer the case in your diet. Eggs are filled with many needed nutrients that the body can not produce on it's own. The vitamin B's are among these nutrients. Eggs have several B vitamins which aid the body in the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Vitamin B's are also known for helping the Adrenal system (helping with stress and depression.) There are farmers who have started to feed their eggs Omega 3 rich diets (flax seed) which makes the eggs they produce rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. Look for these in your grocery store, request them if they don't sell them yet.

According to WorldsHealthiestFoods.com an egg breakfast helps promote weight loss.
In a randomized controlled trial, 160 overweight or obese men and women were divided into 2 groups, one of which ate a breakfast including 2 eggs, while the other consumed a bagel breakfast supplying the same amount of calories and weight mass (an important control factor in satiety and weight loss studies). Participants ate their assigned breakfast at least 5 days a week for 8 weeks as part of a low-fat diet with a 1,000 calorie deficit. (Dhurandhar N, Vander Wal J, et al, FASEB Journal)

Compared to those on the bagel breakfast, egg eaters:
Lost almost twice as much weight -- egg eaters lost an average of 6.0 pounds compared to bagel eaters' 3.5 pound loss.
Had an 83% greater decrease in waist circumference
Reported greater improvements in energy

No significant differences were seen between blood levels of total, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in either group, confirming what other studies (Ballesteros MN, Cabrera RM, Am J Clin Nutr) have shown, including a relative risk study presented at the Experimental Biology meeting: healthy people can safely enjoy eggs without increasing their heart attack risk. The relative risk study, a thorough scientific review of the major studies concerning heart disease causation, which was conducted by Washington, DC-based scientific consulting firm, Exponent, found that eggs contribute just 0.6 percent of men's and 0.4 percent of women's coronary heart disease risk.

I could give a whole list of reasons why eggs are good for you. But I just wanted to give you an idea of why it's not necessary to avoid such an easy meal maker.

Here are some ideas of how I use eggs throughout the week's menu:

Winter Squash Omelets (crookneck or zucchini): Mix several eggs in a bowl with pressed garlic (or garlic salt), sea salt, fresh cut up or dried herbs (basil, sage, chives, etc.), chopped red onions (optional) and a bit of olive oil. Slice desired amount of squash and mix in with the egg mixture. Pour mixture into a skillet and cook as an omelet or scrambled. This was a big hit at our table. It smelled as delicious as it tasted. We ate it as a side to a tasty steak and a salad.

Southwestern Breakfast Burritos: Crack desired amount of eggs into a bowl. Mix black beans, corn, salsa, southwestern seasoning (taco seasoning (or, chili pepper), onions, and fresh spinach in with the eggs. Pour mixture into a skillet and scramble. Place eggs on tortillas (tortillas made with sprouted grains are extremely nutritious and tasty.) Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the eggs, add a bit more salsa or Tabasco sauce to taste, and Enjoy!

Omelets For Babies (9+months): Crack desired amount of eggs into a bowl. Add any of the following; chopped squash, spinach, tomatoes, beans, cheese, colored peppers, tuna, anything else healthy you have in the fridge:). Mix all together and scramble in a skillet.

Chili Burritos With Eggs: Use scrambled eggs in your burritos if you're running low on meat!

Garden Vegetable Lasagna

This is a delicious lasagna recipe that I created so I could put all of our yummy garden veggies to good use. The best part of this recipe is that it is very versatile. You can add or take away almost any ingredient to suit your taste. And it was easy to make, healthy, and tasty!

Garden Vegetable Lasagna
Approximately 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

10-12 Lasagna Pasta Strips

Bring water to boil in a medium size sauce pan. Add a pinch of salt and 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil. Add pasta and cook al dente (try not to over cook. Al dente pasta is easier for our body to digest and use as energy.) Drain and set aside.

1 lb. Ground Beef or Shredded Chicken
1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning OR Fresh Herbs (Oregano, Basil, Parsley, etc)
2 cloves Garlic (pressed or minced)
1/2 Red Onion chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped Bell Peppers (red, yellow, orange, or green)
1 small Zucchini finely chopped
1 small Crookneck Squash finely chopped
1 can of Tomatoes (juice and tomatoes) OR 1 1/2 pounds chopped fresh tomatoes (add 1/2 cup water if using fresh tomatoes)

Cook the meat in a good size skillet. Combine the above ingredients in with the meat and simmer until the rest of the ingredients are ready to start layering the lasagna.

2 eggs beaten (try to find the eggs that market that they have Omega 3 fatty acids)
3 cups low fat Ricotta or Cottage Cheese
2 tsp Sea Salt (optional)
Alfalfa/Broccoli Sprouts
1 cup Spinach chopped

Combine the above ingredients in a medium size bowl.

Using a casserole or cake pan or glass dish, begin layering the lasagna.
First Layer: Pasta
Second Layer: Cheese Mixture
Third Layer: Meat Sauce
Continue layers until just below the top of the dish
Sprinkle Mozzarella Cheese on top

Cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

This recipe is packed with natural sources of vitamin C as well as protein. If you find the eggs that have Omega 3 fatty acids in them then you will be feeding your brain and heart a special treat. Also, mozzarella cheese has almost 50% less fat then Cheddar or American cheese.
Summer Squash (zucchini and crookneck) are filled with great nutrients as well.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods website: "Summer squash is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C. It is also a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, copper, folate, and phosphorus. In addition, summer squash is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, calcium, zinc, niacin, and protein."
Many of these nutrients are pain relieving nutrients as well as cell and tissue rebuilders.

Clove Broth Soup: Sooths A Sore Throat

This is a soup recipe that I created this week for a severe sore throat that my son and I had. I needed some type of natural pain relief in the form of a soothing food source. I also wanted to use antiviral and antibacterial nutrients as well.

This soup was not only soothing with it's taste, but the smell was just as comforting. The flavor is a sweet and salty flavor. The clove has a very slight numbing effect on the tongue. But I was thrilled by this because I had sores on my tongue and throat. The soup took the edge off my sore throat for about a half hour or so. I'm sure the healing agents helped even longer.

Clove Broth Soup
Approximately (8) 1 Cup Servings

2 14.5 oz. cans Chicken Broth (not low sodium)
1 large Chicken Breast (boiled in the broth and cut with kitchen shears when cooked through)
3 medium Garlic Cloves (pressed), 4 Garlic Cloves if minced (chopped)
1 Red Onion (sliced and chopped)
3/4 -1 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 teaspoon Organic Natural Season Salt (with Sea Salt)
1 14 oz. can Organic Wild Rice
2 handfuls Broccoli Florets
2 Tablespoons Honey

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan following the order set out above. Boil the chicken in the broth until cooked thoroughly. Add all other ingredients except Honey and bring down to medium heat (just under a boil, like you're steeping tea). Cook for up to 10 minutes.
Take from heat and add honey. Stir together and serve.

Healing agents abound within this soup. Chicken broth has both salt and vitamin B's. Garlic and Onion are both antiviral and antibacterial. They are also great sinus decongestants. Cloves are an antiviral, antibacterial, antiseptic and a mild anesthetic effect. Honey also has antibacterial nutrients.

Do not overcook this soup! You want to keep as many of the nutrients active as much as possible. Try not to microwave this soup if you are heating up leftovers. Try to keep it as health filled as possible.

Enjoy! Visit this wonderful website to learn more about these healthy soup ingredients:
The World's Healthiest Foods.